Scarred Memory
by ChihiroAyasato
Summary: Mia Fey awakens to find herself tied up and gagged. And the last person she wants to see in this universe is standing before her, a cruel twisted smile on her sweet, innocent face. They must find her before it's too late.
1. Helpless

**Scarred Memory**

**Chapter I - Helpless**

A sharp pain was present at the back of her burning mind and she could barely remember what had landed her in this position. She tasted blood in her mouth and was just about to reach a hand up to wipe the red liquid from her cut lip when…

Mia Fey realised she couldn't move her arms.

"Wh-Wha…?" She exclaimed in surprise and opened her eyes fully to see herself tied by several strips of tight white cloth around her wrists to a bed.

She was lying back first on the clean sheets and restrained, barely able to move. Her legs had also been bound so that they were held down and further restricted her movement. Her mouth was gagged, hence she could not speak clearly.

And then, a horrible thought crossed her throbbing mind.

Was this part of some street conspiracy to target unsuspecting women?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door suddenly opened quietly. And the sight that met her watery eyes was so shocking she choked on her gag.

"Hello there, Madame Fey." Dahlia Hawthorne walked towards her captured prey with an angelic smile pasted on her seemingly innocent face. "It's been a long time…I'm glad you're finally awake."

* * *

"…Where's Mia?" Diego Armando noticed only just then that his favourite pupil was no longer running errands around the office.

Xekuto Zoren looked up from his case files and sighed softly.

"She went to fetch some coffee beans for you almost an hour ago…how could you forget when _you_ were the one who sent her to do it?"

"Ah…my apologies." Diego looked away sheepishly and gazed at the clock hand.  
"She should really be back by now…I only asked her to get a small bag from the supermarket, which doesn't take that long to get to and back."

Xekuto's expression grew stony and he put down the paperwork he had been scanning through.  
"I think we should go check on her. She may be in trouble…"

"Trouble…?" Diego chuckled softly but the slightly concerned tone in his voice betrayed his true cocky act.  
"What makes you say that?"

"Well…when we were children back in the village…"

The coffee addict grew attentive at once. Xekuto's recounts of his childhood with Mia were always crucial to the current moment and to the point. Why, the first time Xekuto had informed Diego about his past, the attorney had been able to use the information to save his traumatised pupil from hurting herself in midst of hysteria.

Xekuto's eyes narrowed slightly as he continued, his expression unchanging.  
"Whenever Mia had been in trouble, whether it be she had injured herself, or if someone had hurt her…as soon as she grows extremely desperate, her magatama would send a signal into the air. And being an exorcist, and trained to sense such signals which are similar to spirits, I can pinpoint her location and know that she's in danger."

"That's…pretty impressive." Diego admitted and stared intently at his colleague.  
"Am I glad that we added you to the crew."

Xekuto smiled grimly.  
"Well, it's a useful skill…but it never means anything good."

"True…can you tell where she is right now?"

He closed his eyes and grasped his dark green tie with a hand and enclosed it into a fist.

"She's…far away…and nowhere near the grocery store…"

Diego stood up from his seat immediately.  
"Then you were right about her before…she really is in trouble."

Xekuto looked up with a gleam in his eyes.  
"And she's not alone."

* * *

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry…you can't talk like in that state, can you?" Dahlia chuckled softly as she watched her squirm.

She removed the gag from her mouth and Mia gasped slightly for breath.

"Y-You…! What…what did you do?"

"How disappointing…I was expecting a much warmer welcome from you, Madame Fey…You are and always will be so…dense."

And Dahlia did the last thing Mia thought she'd do to her. An ice-cold hand reached forward to touch her cheek.

"What...?" Mia was stunned into speechlessness as the hand traced its way down the frame of her face.

"I knocked you unconscious, you daft woman." Dahlia once again smiled her innocent smile.  
"Hiding from the outside world can be awfully boring…which is why I set myself a list of goals that I wanted to complete before the police attempt to capture me…oh, and do you know what's on the top of that list?"

Mia simply stared at her, fear trickling down her system like cold liquid.

"…to torture you." The redhead finally abandoned her act and sneered at Mia for the first time since she'd entered the room.

"…!" Mia desperately tried to break free of her bonds but there was nothing she could do…she was trapped, and couldn't do a thing to stop her.

Dahlia smirked and reached into her dress pocket, where she retrieved a sharp blade.

Mia stared at it in horror, her arms still tugging frantically at their bonds.

"Don't you worry, I'm not going to _kill_ you." She whispered and placed the knife next to Mia's shivering body.

Instead, she cupped Mia's cheeks, bringing her own face close to hers and whispered in her captive's ear.

"However, you'll be barely alive by the time I'm finished with you."


	2. Needle against Vein

**Chapter II – ****Needle**** against ****Vein**

"You're sure this is the right place?" Diego Armando turned his steering well and parked outside the seemingly deserted area.  
There was nothing in sight save a large mansion that had windows covered in spider webs.

"Positive. Unless I'm receiving a signal from a majorly tormented demon then this is the place."

"Yeah, well, judging from the state of this building, I think I'll be going with the demon…"

Suddenly, the two noticed something that was caught on one of the large gate's spiked metal pillars and ran towards it.

Diego almost fell to his knees upon realising what it was.

A tan scarf.

"It's her…oh my go…it's her." He croaked and managed to reach up and retrieve it from the pillar.

Xekuto stared at it in horror and then scanned the front yard.  
"You better stay alert, I have the odd feeling we're being watched."

"R-Right." Diego straightened up, a fierce look in his eyes as he glared at the door to the building.  
"Whoever did this to her…whoever hurt her…I'd like a word with them…"

"I think a word's more than you'd want to have with them." Xekuto replied and pointed to the bloodstain on the scarf, which nearly caused Diego to fall over in shock.

"That...argh…!"

"…You alright?"

"Yeah…fine." Diego said stiffly and shared a determined look with Xekuto.

"We're going in."

* * *

"S-Stop it…please…stop it…!" Mia tried and failed to move away as Dahlia held Mia's wrist is place and placed the knife blade inches from it.

"Your pleading is music to my ears." Dahlia said in a low voice and traced a vein beneath Mia's skin with a thin finger.  
"Which is why I won't listen to any of your…oh what are they called again? _Objections_?"

"N-No…s-stop it…" Mia shivered as Dahlia placed the flat, cool surface of the blade on her wrist.

"Do you know why I despise you so much?"

The prey didn't say a word and just stared at its hunter.

"It's really simple, actually…it's because…"

Dahlia chose that moment to slash the sharp end of the knife along her pinned down arm.

Mia Fey screamed out in absolute agony as the fresh wound opened up and warm streams of blood ran down from her skin and unto the bed sheets.

"**You exist." ** Dahlia finished with a satisfied smile on her face and brought the stained blade to her lips, running a tongue along the flat surface of the knife.

A flood of memories suddenly surfaced in Mia's mind, and she saw mental images of being locked in a tightly enclosed room, a whip being brought down to strike her again and again, a vice like grip on her robes as she was lifted into the air.

And with horror, Mia saw the same eyes of Morgan Fey in Dahlia.

The demon's eyes.

As Dahlia neared her, the redhead gave her another twisted smile and whispered in her ear.

"_Everything was perfect until you came…Why did you have to ruin my life…?_"

Mia flinched upon hearing the familiar words.

"Oh _God_…no…Y-you…! How did y-you…?"

"_**Why do you have to exist?**_**"**

This time, the knife cut into the side of Mia's cheek, and she cried out in pain.

"You ask why I sound so much like someone you know?" Dahlia cocked her head to one side in an almost childish way.

"How c-could you have known wh-what my aunt s-said…" Mia managed, gasping in pain as the injury on her cheek stung bitterly.

"We could apply an overused term here…you could say...'Like Mother…Like Daughter…"

Mia stopped struggling altogether and stared with absolute horror at Dahlia.

"Y-You…you're…!"

"That's right." Dahlia placed the knife against the skin of Mia's throat.

"It's so nice to finally spend some quality time with you…my beloved _cousin_."

* * *

"This place looks…like it hasn't been used in years." Diego breathed and let the door close with a dull clank behind them as they made their way in.

"Yeah…ARGH!" Xekuto suddenly doubled over and was brought to his knees, nearly collapsing onto the dusty floor.

"What's wrong?" His hands brushed against his colleague's back whilst trying to pull him back to his feet and he jumped back in shock.

On the surface of Xekuto's dark grey suit was the image of a blood red dragon, which glowed bright amber. It remained there for approximately two heartbeats and then faded from view.

"What…w-was that?" Diego stared at his friend with a mixture of horror and fascination.

Xekuto acted as if he hadn't heard the question and looked towards the stairs.

"Mia's in trouble…she's being tortured."

"What?" And hearing that the woman so important to him was in imminent danger, all questions in Diego's mind about what he had seen completely vanished and he ran up the steps.

Xekuto brought his hand to touch his back and closed his eyes.

"**Not now."** He said with a hiss that sounded almost inhuman and then headed after Diego.

* * *

Mia was now covered in scratches and cuts, and a large amount of red. She could barely breathe and tasted the scent of her own blood every time she did inhale.

"Now…where were we?" Dahlia leaned towards her once more, clearly enjoying every minute of this.  
"Ah, that's right…we're kin."

"Th-that can't be t-true…" Mia gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.  
"It just…c-can't."

"Heh, go ahead and check the family record. I'm sure you and I will be on the same page, since we're not even a generation apart."

"L-Liar…!" Mia gasped wretchedly and managed to fix Dahlia with a piercing stare.

"You don't seem to be able to think clearly any more, Madame Fey…I think I may have something to help you."

That was the moment Mia first saw the syringe.

"Don't you worry, this won't hurt a bit." Dahlia whispered, almost gently and held the desperately struggling Mia down with ease.  
"It'll help make _everything_ better."

"Y-You…! You expect m-me to believe that?" Mia cried out in horror as a bloody wrist was grabbed by her and a finger traced the vein area once more.

She flinched as Dahlia ran her tongue along the entire arm.

"Apologies, I couldn't see where your entry points were with all that red on you." She said in a sing song voice and licked her lips.  
"You sure do taste lovely, Mia Fey."

"S-Stop…I beg of you, s-stop!" With a rasping voice, Mia pleaded for the final time with Dahlia.  
"J-Just tell me what you want…as long as it doesn't i-involve anyone else, I'll g-give it to you."

"What I want? Now this is just cute." The needle point was pressed lightly onto Mia's skin, and she suddenly froze in place, too horrified to continue resisting.  
"I want…for you to feel the same pain I felt when I had to take this…medication twice every day."

Mia stared at her, tear stains still present on her cheek and skin sweating bullets.  
"Wh-what…?"

"The doctors told me I was sick, that I was mad." And Mia heard for the first time, a slight hint of hurt in Dahlia's voice that was genuinely true.  
"That I shouldn't be trusted…Heh…the pathetic, dim-witted idiots…Do you know what else they told me?"

The needle point sank into skin, flesh and finally vein.

The liquid within the syringe rushed into Mia Fey's body.

And she screamed.

"…**that the medication is only meant for me. **If someone else takes it…_terrible things could happen_."

Agony, pure agony.

No longer a descriptive word, but a live beast tearing through Mia's entire system.

The drug's effects were instant, and she felt as if her veins were burning up. Saliva was building up at an extreme pace in her throat and soon she could no longer breathe. Her pupils shrank and contracted, her skin tone turned to a pale shade of green and her whole body wouldn't stop shivering violently.

Dahlia watched with a mixture of pleasure and fascination at the scene before her.

"So…this is what the doctors meant. Well…at least they were right on one thing." She moved out of harm's way as Mia continued to thrash wildly and stood up from the bed.  
"Poor, foolish, Madame Fey…I don't think I'll be seeing the sane side of you anytime soon, don't you think?"

Mia couldn't speak. Her throat was now entirely blocked up with a burning sensation and her cheeks grew to a nasty shade of purple as she coughed fitfully, her lungs desperately banging against her chest for air.

The torture fiend giggled and retrieved her knife blade and slashed Mia across the forehead once more before letting it fall into her small handbag.

"The effects were always instant when I took it…though they achieved the entirely opposite effect. Oh well…experimentation doesn't always lead to good results."

Dahlia Hawthorne left the room the same way she had walked out of the trial of Terry Fawles…with an angelic smile positioned on her perfect, cheerful face.

"Farewell, poor, daft Mia Fey."

* * *

"This mansion…what's WITH IT? Why is it so DAMN big?" Diego ran up yet another flight of stairs, panting slightly and checking now and then that Xekuto was still with him. Anyone could get lost in this labyrinth.

"Are you sure you didn't see Mia when you passed the fourth floor, Diego? I could have sworn that I sensed…"

"**AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH…!"**

The two of them stopped dead in their tracks and shared a brief look.

Then both heads turned towards the third room on the left of the fifth floor.

"**MIA!" **

Diego got there first and stared with nothing short of pure horror at his tied up pupil.

Mia was no longer violently thrashing about, and the colour had left most of her skin. She was now just jerking up slightly here and there, covered in blood, pupils almost reduced to microscopic dots and foaming slightly at the mouth.

"Oh my _God_…Mia…!" He ran up to her without any more hesitation and untied her from the bed immediately.  
"Mia…MIA! For God's sake, Mia, what happened to you?" He cradled her twitching form close to him and shook her slightly.  
"Mia…can you hear me?"

Xekuto chose that moment to barge in through the door and was there in an instant. He tried his best to help Diego hold Mia still as she continued to fitfully struggle as if she were having a seizure.

"Call the hospital, _**now**_!" Xekuto barked at Diego who could do nothing but grip Mia's shivering arms.

He willingly complied and snatched his mobile from his pants pocket immediately to dial the number.

The silver haired attorney desperately held Mia as gently as he could and said firmly, but also pleadingly as Diego yelled into his phone with impatient urgence.

"Mia. Please, hang in there. The ambulance is on their way right now. You have to promise me you'll **hold on**."

"Guh…argh…" She couldn't form a single coherent word and continued jerking her limbs now and then, her whole body still shivering fitfully.

"**Stay with me, Mia."** He croaked, raw emotion breaking its way through his voice and he buried his face into her bloody and sweat covered shoulder.  
"Please…I beg you…stay with me…!"

"S-Stay…" She suddenly uttered, a trickle of blood coming out of her mouth.

"God, **MIA!**" Diego dropped the phone as soon as he'd finished the call and fell to his knees, grasping her ice cold hand in his own.

"H-have t-to…s-s-stay…" She wheezed feebly and coughed up more blood, staining the already crimson bed sheets and splattering her friends' cheeks with the red liquid.

Diego felt as if sharp knives were being wedged into his heart.

Xekuto seemed to have given his speech ability to Mia and could no longer speak himself.

"_Stay with me…Don't leave me behind…!"_

"M-Mia…?" He regained it again and also picked up the noise of a large van in the distance.

"Th-they're here!" Diego let go of his pupil's hand and ran to the window, shouting with all the energy he had left to draw their attention.

"S-St…a-ay…y…"

"_If you don't, I'll be alone…__**all alone!**__"_

Diego threw open the door to the room with tremendous force and ran down the stairs as fast as he could to lead the doctors up to where they were.

"P-ple…a..asse…"

And then Mia Fey's body was still.

She never heard Xekuto's response.


	3. Lost Memory

**Chapter III – Lost Memory**

"She's…what?" Diego stared at the doctor with an uncomprehending gaze, sharply contrasting his usual arrogant and confident demeanour.

And for once, Xekuto could not provide an answer.

The specialist shook his head sadly and repeated what he had just informed them with patience.

"We did everything we could, and whilst Ms. Fey is no longer in danger of losing her life, the whole incident that she was involved in has sealed both her speech ability and her memories."

"So…you're saying that she won't…remember anything?" Diego felt as if he would collapse from shock.

"The most she'll remember is her name." He sighed and after comforting the two speechless attorneys the best he could, led them to her room.

She was sitting up and leaning against her upright pillow, staring blankly into space with a glazed over look in her usually sharp eyes. Nearly every part of her was bandaged or in stitches. She was dressed in a white hospital gown and didn't seem to notice them coming in.

"Be sure to speak slowly and softly to her." The specialist murmured quietly to them. "She'll also be staying with us for a while so that we can keep an eye on her and take immediate action if something were to happen."

"Thank you so much for everything that you've done for her." Xekuto bowed his head respectfully to the doctor when it seemed as if Diego had lost his ability to speak as well.

"Um…y-yes!" The attorney suddenly composed himself and also dipped his head. "We really appreciate your skills and support."

When the specialist had finally left them alone with her, Diego was the first to approach the bed.

"Mia…?" He asked hesitantly.

She jerked up and pulled her covers over her face, cowering beneath them and refusing to look at him.

Diego stared at her and then turned to Xekuto with a concern stretched over his face.

After an uncomfortably long pause, Mia managed to bring herself to pull the white sheets down slowly.

"Mia…" He tried again but didn't near her this time. "It's me, Diego."

She blinked but showed no other sign of hearing him.

"Kitten…?" He croaked, realising with horror that the doctor had been right as she continued to stare at him blankly.

Mia Fey was a blank sheet.

She had been completely erased of all her memories.

* * *

"Mia…come on, sit still so that the doctor can check up on you." Xekuto tried desperately to hold his struggling friend down as she shivered fitfully and attempted to run from the room.

Mia shook her head about and held onto him, fear dominating her eyes.

The doctor sighed softly and placed down his examining tools.  
"I guess tonight's not going to work either."

"I guess…"

"We'll try again tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zoren." He packed up his kit and left the room quietly.

"R-Right, it was my pleasure." Xekuto answered back weakly.

As soon as she heard the door click shut, Mia breathed a sigh of relief and leaned into him.

"Mia…are you alright?"

She looked up at him, tears present in her eyes and shivered slightly once more as he reached up a hand to stroke her hair.

"Everything's going to be fine." He reassured her. "You don't have to worry about it."

Mia opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but no words could come out, and she ended up just gasping slightly. Xekuto watched her with pain in his heart and wrapped his arms around her gently.

She jumped slightly but otherwise managed to settle into the embrace with a soft whimper.

_At least she's allowing physical contact from her close friends now…_

A knock was heard at the door, and Mia's grip on Xekuto tightened.

"Can…I come in?" Diego Armando's hesitant yet familiar voice found its way to Mia's ears and she relaxed slightly.

Xekuto looked at Mia, still holding onto her and after receiving a small nod in response, called out to Diego.

The door opened slowly and the attorney made his way in with a large plastic bag.

"Um…I bought some food for us." He said sheepishly and settled himself down. "How are you doing, Kitten?"

She inclined her head slightly to him.

Diego smiled softly. "That's my Kitten."

He reached into his bag and pulled out three lunchboxes with still warm curry, and then handed one to each person.

"Thanks a lot, Diego. I was getting really hungry." Xekuto opened Mia's share and spooned a small amount onto the waiting hospital plate.

He handed it to her with a spoon.  
"You feel strong enough to eat something, Mia?"

She stared at the food for a while, inhaling its rich aroma and took it hesitantly. But when she received it, all she did was pick up the utensil and poke at the substance with interest in her dull eyes.

"She's…forgotten how to eat?" Diego asked amusedly.

True, Mia hadn't been eating properly for the past week, and had been getting her nutrition intake from bags of medicine and injections. So she hadn't had contact with food for quite some time.

"Here…" Xekuto gently took it from Mia's hand and spooned some curry into it. After blowing on it, he offered it to her lips.  
"Open up."

She reluctantly did so and chewed, her eyes widening slightly to the texture of the food. After a while of silence, Mia tugged at Xekuto's shirt and opened her mouth a fraction.

"You want more?"

She nodded.

"I guess it's working." Diego sighed with relief and began eating himself, watching with a mixture of sadness and adoration of his pupil as Xekuto spoon-fed her half of her curry.

After eating all she could, Mia collapsed onto Xekuto once more and pulled at his sleeve.

"What is it, Mia?"

She motioned towards the TV in her room and then pointed to her eyes.

"Sure, I'll get that going for you." He carefully placed her hands that were still on his chest, down onto the bed and stood up to turn on the television, aware that her eyes were following his every move until he sat back down and adjusted the volume.

"What would you like to watch, Kitten?" Diego asked fondly and placed his empty aside to sit beside her.

She looked up at the ceiling, silently thinking to herself, and then finally shrugged.

"Is there anything else you want to do?" Xekuto knew she hadn't really wanted to watch TV, all she needed was to do something to occupy herself and have the two of them stay by her side.

Mia took Diego's hand in hers and leaned against him, then pointed to her ears.

"You…want to listen to music?"

Nod, nod.

"No problem, the hospital has a radio, do you want me to get it?"

Shake…shake…

"…Did you want a portable music player?"

Nod.

"Alright, let me go fetch that for you." Xekuto smiled at her warmly and left the room.

Diego realised that Mia was still leaning hesitantly on his shoulder and lowered it slightly so that she was more comfortable.

"You're really cute even when you don't say anything." He said and ruffled her affectionately.

Her eyelids drooped slightly and she looked like she was almost pouting in response, causing Diego to chuckle lightly.

Then a thought suddenly came to him.

He knew it wasn't the proper time to ask, and would definitely ruin the peaceful aura which they had created in this room but the question had been gnawing away at his mind ever since he found her bloody scarf dangling on the fencepost of that mansion.

"Mia…can I ask you something? It's…kinda serious…" He whispered.

She looked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder to seat herself back up and cocked her head to the side.

"You…don't mind if I do?"

Nod.

Diego swallowed and held her close to him without thinking.

"...Who did this to you?"

She stared at him, uncomprehendingly.

"…Who…hurt you?"

Mia suddenly understood and reached for the pad of notes and pencil that she always kept by her side.

She quickly scribbled on it, and drew an illustration just like a child would.

Diego flinched slightly as he took in what she had drawn.

A butterfly.

"…You can't mean…_her_…"

Mia's expression grew stony and she dropped the pad and pencil carelessly, which Diego reached down shakily to pick up.

He noticed then that she had added something next to the illustration.

It was a messy sketch of a parasol.

And he understood completely.

"That…witch…" he breathed and suddenly embraced her, a growl present at the back of his throat.

She jumped up in fright but managed to keep still as he held her, sobs wracking through his body though his eyes remained dry.

"Why…didn't you tell me sooner?"

Mia shook her head sadly and buried her face into his shoulder. She started shivering once more and wept onto him, staining his work clothes with her frightened tears.

"Oh, Mia…"

Xekuto walked in just then with the music device in his hands. His expression changed immediately from cheerful to shock when he realised Mia was sobbing broken-heartedly onto Diego.

"What's…going on?"

"It was her, Xekuto. It was that…_witch_ that tortured Mia, and I…"

"What on earth were you thinking?"

The words were said through gritted teeth and felt like a slap to Diego.

"B-But…I…"

"You know very well that Mia's moods and mental state are still slipping back and forth. Why did you have to choose NOW of all times to bring something as traumatising as that up?"

Xekuto hadn't raised his voice at all, but the mere tone of his voice was enough to send shivers up Diego's spine.

"…I'm sorry." He muttered and let go of his pupil.

She looked hurt and confused, wondering if she had done something awful to have Diego reject her.

"Mia, it's alright."

She jumped, noticing only then that Xekuto had returned and reached up for him like a child to their father.

He cradled her gently in his own arms and wiped away her tears with a steady hand.  
"Don't worry. Everything's fine. Here, I brought you what you wanted."

He opened up his closed fist to reveal a small IPod with several black kitten stickers decorating its cover.

With all thoughts of a sad Diego forgotten, she reached happily for it and clicked through the playlist with fascination, as if she were seeing it for the first time.

"Diego, I'd like a word." He said stonily and gave Mia's head a final pat before leaving the room with the coffee addict.

She gazed at them and reluctantly let them close the door and leaned back onto the bed to enjoy the music alone.

She had wanted the three of them to listen to Sugimori's compositions together…

* * *

"May I kindly ask you what the HELL motivated you to break Mia before she'd completely healed?" Xekuto fixed Diego with a penetrating stare and backed him up against the hospital wall.

"I…" Diego managed a glare of his own and stood up slightly straighter. He was taller than Xekuto yet the silver haired attorney seemed much more threatening in this situation.  
"I was worried about her…and wanted to know if she was coping with…"

"You mean you were concerned about your OWN feelings and wanted to quieten your appetite for answers to your OWN selfish questions." Xekuto cut in, his stare as piercing as ever.

"You would've done the same as soon as you were alone with her!" Diego burst out without thinking and suddenly found himself held by the collar by Xekuto's vice like grip and slammed into the wall with force.

Luckily, they were alone in the corridor so they didn't attract any curious witnesses.

The next words that Xekuto spoke were in a icy whisper.

"You think…that I would step down to that level?"

Diego was aware that he could barely breathe and shakily grasped Xekuto's arm.  
"Look…I'm s-sorry," he managed to croak. "I didn't mean to hurt her…and it won't happen again."

Xekuto finally released him after Diego struggled for several more heartbeats and turned his back on him as the attorney massaged his throat, gasping for breath.

Diego realised then with surprise that Xekuto was inhaling deeply himself and clutching the right side of his arm.

"Zoren?" Diego addressed his colleague by his last name, just like he would always do in a serious situation.  
"What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing…I just need some air… You go back inside and watch over Mia."

And with that he ran out of the corridor, his hands tearing away at his coat and sweating furiously.

* * *

He slammed the door shut behind him and fell with a cry of agony to the floor.

"_Good job, you actually got to a safe place on time today."_

"D-Damn you…!" He croaked and was suddenly forced upwards as if by an invisible force and his hands came up to meet his face.

"_Why are you resisting…? Let me help you…"_

"H-Help me? Ha…! That's the worst joke you've come up with ever since you've inhabited my…ARGH!"

And then the soul of Ryu Seron appeared before his eyes and tipped his chin upward.

"_**You really are stupid."**_

An overwhelming sensation filled Xekuto as his spirit was detached from his body and forced out, he was aware of the body's silver hair growing longer and turning a dull shade of gold. A burning feeling in his heart told him that Ryu Seron now had complete control of his body.

"Hah…it's been a while." Ryu examined himself and delicately fingered his hair.

"_Y-You…!" _ Xekuto saw his own reflection in the mirror, a faded silhouette that was only visible to his now possessed body.

Ryu shrugged off Xekuto's clothes with deliberate casualty and placed a calm hand on Xekuto's form.

The silver haired attorney realised with shock that his hand didn't go through him and he cupped his cheek and whispered into his ear.

"I'll be using you for quite a while, since it has been too long since I spent some quality time with _Mia-chan_." He giggled and pushed Xekuto into the wall.  
"Tell me you did bring my share of clothes, Xe-kun." He fingered Xekuto's much shorter hair playfully.

"_Stop acting like we're together or something!" _Xekuto growled and jumped as Ryu bit onto his ear.  
_"G-Get off me!"_

"Aww, you're no fun." He pouted and reached a hand down to tug at his black pants.

"_AND STOP UNDRESSING IN FRONT OF ME!"_

"I will if you just tell me if you brought my…"

"_YES, YES, I DID! They're in the bag right there!"_

Ryu grinned and pulled out his share of clothing to put them on; a white long sleeved shirt and a black top underneath.

"Aww, you didn't bring my purple earring." He moped and ran a hand down the dragon imprint on his back so that Xekuto could no longer come into physical contact with anybody.

"_Oh, what a disaster. I sincerely apologise to you after you just tried to MOLEST me!" _

"Heh, you haven't changed much." He poked out a tongue at him and opened the door out of the bathroom after picking up the bag which now held Xekuto's clothes.  
"So, how are things looking with Mia-chan?"

"_Not too bad, I suppose. She's steadily recovering." _ Xekuto wiped furiously at the places that he had had physical contact with Ryu. His eyes narrowed.  
_"Don't over do it, she's still not…herself yet."_

"Of course." And Ryu's voice was suddenly unnaturally serious.  
"This is Mia we're talking about, the person most important to you…" He leaned towards Xekuto.

"**And the reason why you've been born time and time again into different worlds."**

* * *

"…?" Mia tried desperately to get Diego's attention but the coffee addict was staring into space once again, unaware of what she was trying to tell him.

She sighed and flopped back onto bed, taking her earphones out and tucking them away. Mia curled into a ball and leaned against her knees.

She wanted Xekuto to come back…he would know what to say.

The door suddenly opened and she looked up with expectation to see the silver haired attorney come in.

Which is why she almost fell onto the floor when she saw who it was.

"Yo, Mia-chan, you miss me?" Ryu placed two fingers to his forehead and flicked them upwards, addressing her like he always used to in high school.

Diego finally managed to stop daydreaming and stared at the newcomer.  
"Who…?" He managed.

"Oh, it doesn't seem like we've met before." Ryu bowed low and respectfully at him.  
"My name is Ryu Seron…I was Mia's friend in school." He gazed at Diego with his unnaturally crimson eyes.  
"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Diego Armando. I heard from Xe-kun that you've been taking good care of my Mia-chan, which I must express my gratitude for."

"Uh…sure…likewise, it's nice to meet you too…" Diego mumbled, completely taken back by the majestic aura that was surrounding Ryu.  
"Xe-kun?"

"Oh, that's just my nickname for Xekuto, he's a…he holds a dear place in my heart you see." Ryu made his way to Mia and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Mia-chan…Xe-kun told me everything. You feeling okay?"

Mia nodded, her eyes still wide with surprise that he was here.

"Oh? You're not pleased to see me?" He pretended to pout which triggered a reaction from Mia almost completely.

She jumped up and embraced him, holding him tightly to her. Mia hadn't seen him for almost two years.

"So…what do you do for a living, Mr. Seron?" Diego managed to overcome his surprise at his pupil expressing such affection for him and cleared his throat.  
"And how do you know Xekuto?"

"Well, it's a long story actually." Ryu smiled and settled down next to them on the hospital bed.

"I've got time." Truly intrigued by the longhaired visitor, Diego couldn't let this chance of acquiring more information slip by.

"Well, I work as a detective under Lana Skye…whom I assume you know judging from the look you just gave me." Ryu flicked a strand of his dull golden hair out of his eyes and lowered Mia lightly from the embrace before continuing.  
"I also am a part-time musician, and I play the keyboard for the Gavinners."

"Huh…" Diego recalled glimpsing the famous band in the newspaper headlines when they had won the award for 'most popular music group of the month'.  
"I…didn't see you at the award ceremony…"

"Oh? YOU went to the award ceremony?"

Diego felt a chill crawl up his spine when he noticed the shape of Ryu's eyes were the exact same as Xekuto's. And for a second, he thought Ryu _was_ Xekuto, only with a completely different physical appearance and blood red eyes.

_But that couldn't be true, could it?_

"Well…I saw some photos in the paper…and you weren't with the members in the group photo." He mumbled.

"Ah, well that would be because I was sick that day…Xekuto was taking care of me." Ryu smiled and proceeded to play around with Mia's hair.  
"So…what exactly happened to her?"

"_No…! I thought I told you to…!' _

Mia sensed Xekuto's presence and looked around wildly.

"Kitten? What's wrong?" Diego, however, had no idea what she was looking for and held her down.  
"Are you feeling alright? Do you need to go to sleep?"

She shook her head and gazed around the room with a confused look on her face.

She was so sure she had just…

"Mia-chan," Ryu's cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned to look at him.  
"Have you eaten yet? I could get some lunch for you if you want."

Mia pointed to the empty trays of curry and nodded at Ryu.

"Oh, I see…well, I for one haven't eaten yet, so I'll be leaving you in Diego-kun's care for the time being, alright? You two be good now!"

"S-Sure…" Diego blinked at being addressed so casually when they had just met a few minutes ago and watched Ryu head out the room, his long hair flowing behind him like a cape.

* * *

"_What the HELL?" _Xekuto tried to grab Ryu's shoulders to stop him and passed right through him. Cursing under his breath, he materialised next to his ancestor once more._  
"Why on earth did you have to bring that up? You could have broken Mia again!"_

"Oh for goodness sake, Brother. Why must you worry so much? And stop treating her like a mended urn…" Ryu made his way to the café, receiving a lot of curious looks from the nearby nurses that were working at that moment.  
"Hmm, Xe-kun, were all the girls swooning over you when you first came into hospital."

Xekuto didn't reply and simply glared at him.

"I'll…take that as a yes." Ryu laughed and bent down to choose a cake from behind the glass shelves.  
"Are you in the mood for strawberry shortcake or chocolate?"

"_Why do you want MY opinion on this? You're the one digesting this food."_

"Oh, I thought you would've wanted me to get the shortcake…since that was the one Mia gave you for your birthday…"

"…_! Stop prying into my personal life!"_

Ryu purchased the cake and then suddenly made his way into the bathroom once more. Xekuto followed him, unsure of where this was going.

And suddenly felt himself pinned to the floor by Ryu once more.

"_You…! Can't you give me a warning when you make me solid?"_

"Oh, Xe-kun. How I've missed seeing you like this." Ryu chuckled and placed the cake tray next to them.

"_What…are you doing?"_

"Eating a shortcake…with you."

"…_! Get off me! I refuse to engage in this…this…sexual harassment!"_

Ryu sighed and reluctantly crawled off him, taking the strawberry from the cake and biting into it.  
"You know…Mia-chan doesn't seem to happy."

Xekuto sat up and stared at him.

"_What…do you mean?"_

"I think she much rather prefers spending time with you than me…I'm slightly hurt by that." He swallowed the rest of the fruit and picked at bits of the cake.  
He then placed the tray down and grabbed Xekuto by the collar, and pulling him close so that their faces were inches from one another.  
"Which is why…I'm giving 'Xekuto' back to you." He whispered.

"_What…? You said that you were going to spend way longer in my body!"_

"Hmm? You don't _want_ to come back?"

"_No, that's not what I meant!" _Xekuto shook his head furiously and broke away from him.  
_"And would you stop doing that with me? I'm not your…boyfriend!"_

"Would you like to be?" Ryu poked his tongue out.

"_NO! I would much rather…!"_

But Xekuto never got to finish, because at that instant Ryu had wrapped his arms tightly around him and met his lips with his own. Xekuto flinched, feeling his soul reverting back into his body and his hair shortening at a fast pace.

He gasped, and found himself lying on the floor in Ryu's clothes.

"What…the HELL…RYU!" He bellowed and sat up, looking around for his spirit.

He only heard a giggle.

"_It was the only way for you to regain control…though I don't regret it at all. We should so totally do it more often."_

"You… you are so dead the next time we come into contact with each other!"

Xekuto felt like puking in disgust because of the choice of his words and also because a relative of his had just KISSED him…!

"_**God…!**_" He shook the horrible feeling away and changed back into his clothes.

"_Huh, it's strange how you say that you don't want anything to do with me, and then insist on showing me your naked…"_

"I never insisted that, thank you very much! Where else do you want me to change? In front of the whole hospital?"

"_Precisely, that would be a very nice scene to behold."_

"…You sick…perverted…basta…!"

"_Oh, I love you too, Xe-kun."_


End file.
